Wilson Ranger Post
October 13, 2015
Hey SMARTie!!!!
Please watch the video below from Rebecca DuFour (PLC guru). She explains the why and some specifics of the SMART goals within the PLC process.
This week we will look at setting long-term team goals, as well as look for some short-term goals so that we can track learning towards our goal and also importantly, celebrate successes along the way!!!
You do not have to have these set before we meet, but please be familiar with your data and perhaps have some ideas of what a good SMART goal might be. There are some resources in the PLC folder on Schoology, and I'm happy to have informal conversations in the mean time.
Use it or Lose it...DRA2 and EDL :)
As the beginning of th year assessments come to a close, remember to use that data to drive your instruction! The DRA’s and EDL’s are a valuable resource. Use the descriptors that you identified as a guide to help you select activities on the Focus for Instruction page. You can choose 3-5 activities to focus on when planning and working with your learners in small group instruction.
Monitoring the simple data of a student's Independent, Instructional and Frustration reading level over the course of a year can be very powerful for students, parents, and for us as classroom teachers. There is no disconnect. We can see if our instruction is making a difference -- and we can celebrate tangible growth!
Picture Day - October 13
8:00-8:30 - 1st
8:30-9:00 - Kinder
9:00-9:30 - 2nd
9:30-10:00 - 5th
10:00-10:30 - PreK
10:30-11:00 - 3rd
11:00-11:30 - 4th
Let's all get along...Inclusion
Inclusive education happens when children with and without disabilities participate and learn together in the same classes. Research shows that when a child with disabilities attends classes alongside peers who do not have disabilities, good things happen. Inclusion allows them to be introduced to grade level content and spend more time with their peers to develop better social skills. We have a lot of learners with inclusion time at Wilson this allows us a great opportunity to build a partnership between the general education teacher and the special education teacher. To help these learners be successful, we need to do the following:
Communication is key. The special education teacher needs to plan with the grade level that she will be doing inclusion with. If schedules conflict, the special education teacher needs to have access to your plans.
When a special education teacher or paraprofessional comes into the general education classroom, the general education teacher and special education professional need to work as a team. The special education teacher needs to be aware of what will be happening in that class on that day during that time so she will be able to assist in helping with the lesson. The special education teacher needs to play an active role in the lesson being presented.
Special education teachers do not have to only work with learners in special education. They can also help other learners struggling with concepts. One example is pulling a small group to go over a concept that they are not understanding.
TEA Update on STAAR performance standards
AUSTIN – Commissioner of Education Michael Williams today advised school districts and charters of his recommendation to replace the current phase-in schedule for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) student passing standards with a revised approach.
STAAR performance standards have been scheduled to move to the more rigorous phase-in 2 passing standard this school year. Each time the performance standard is increased, a student must achieve a higher score in order to pass a STAAR exam. The STAAR performance standards have been at phase-in 1 for the past four years.
Under new proposed rules from the Commissioner, the traditional phase-in approach would be replaced with a standard progression approach from 2015–2016 through 2021–2022, the year final standards are scheduled to be in place. In other words, rather than larger jumps to more rigorous performance standards every few years, this progression approach would mean smaller, predictable increases every year through the 2021–2022 school year.
"This approach is intended to minimize any abrupt single-year increase in the required Level II standard for this school year and in the future," said Commissioner Williams. "The standard progression approach will still allow annual, consistent, incremental improvements toward the same final recommended Level II performance standards in 2021–2022."
Phase-in 2 standards were originally scheduled to take effect two years ago. However, Commissioner Williams delayed that move to allow educators and students to adjust to the more rigorous curriculum and assessments. In making this recommendation, Commissioner Williams emphasized that increasing the performance standards in smaller increments will still mean the state reaches the final performance standards on the current schedule (as illustrated by the chart below).
The formal rule proposal will be published in the Texas Register on Oct. 16, 2015. A 30-day public comment period will then begin.
The proposed rules to move to a standard progression approach can be accessed on the Texas Education agency website athttp://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/Laws_and_Rules/Commissioner_Rules_(TAC)/Proposed_Commissioner_of_Education_Rules/.
From Instructional Technology
Upcoming Events and Information
- We have purchased Explain Everything and Notability for all Educators in PreK – 5th grade
- Code.org Week – Dec 7th – 14th – Is your campus interested in participating?
- Clarity Data Survey – dates for the survey coming soon
- Simple K-12 Learning Site – webinars and sessions on Google Apps and iPads available for free for all staff members
- Digital Genius – starts next week!!!
You campus DLC will be speaking with you with more information about details about each event!!
SAVE THE DATES! The Digital Learning Coaches are proud to present our fall professional learning offerings! Unlock your Digital Genius and own your learning by choosing from a variety of experiences. Optional events include after school face to face trainings, Expedition Saturday sessions, twitter chats, a webinar and more!
Check out the attached flyer for more information.
More details to come once events have been added to Eduphoria.
Let me know if you have any questions!
National Walk to School Day!!!
Social Studies
Social Studies
Elementary Social Studies educators are encouraged to be a part of the following opportunities that will be starting in October:
#1 CISD K-5 Social Studies Scope and Sequence(Flex credit awarded) 1st Meeting-Thurs.-Oct 8th (if you're intested...you've got some catching up to do!!!)
#2 Exploring Models for Social Studies/ELA Integration(Flex Credit awarded) 1st Meeting-Thurs-Oct. 22nd
*Contact your Campus Soc. Studies Content Specialist for more details
“National Hispanic Heritage Month” runs through October 15th. Please encourage educators at your campus to promote the learning experiences where they include the ways Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. #cisdss
Language and Literacy from Heather Cato (Renee emailed this, but in case you missed it...)
Istation @ Home
There has been a little confusion in PreK-2 about accessing Istation at home. All learners in PreK-8 can access Istation from home without a unique password.https://www.istation.com/IstationHome/TX If a parent would like to access reports and scores using the Istation Parent Portal, the educator would have to grant them that right by turning on the ISTATION PARENT PORTAL within the Istation Dashboard. Then, parents would log in by using the learner’s username and password on the main Istation site. https://secure.istation.com/Account/LogOn Only if an educator would like to grant parental access to the data reports would an educator need to change the learners’ password. To do this, they would need to change the learner’s district login, which would then update the Istation login information.
SBRC Grades K-2
Educators on the K-2 SBRC report out a learner’s independent reading level. On the report card the line reads: "Reads fluently on target level: 1st 9 wks:___ 2nd 9 wks:___ 3rd 9 wks:___ 4th 9 wks:___” While it is NOT necessary for educators to reassess learners using DRA2 for reporting periods, the DRA2 leveling system is the score they should use to report a learner’s independent reading level. This number should be derived from formal and informal assessments including guided reading and running records. In order to ensure fidelity to the DRA2 assessment, unless the need arises, an educator should only assess the learners using DRA2 during the BOY, MOY and EOY assessment windows.
Become a member of the Coppell Gifted Association for FREE
Science from Linda Cook
Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Picture Books to Guide Inquiry
October 30
106 E. 10th St., Dallas, TX 75203
About the Event
Authors and classroom veterans Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan know elementary teachers are short on time…so they've integrated science and reading in a natural way to help teach both subjects at once. In this engaging, interactive workshop, elementary teachers will learn strategies for linking science and reading through the use of picture books and participate in classroom-ready model lessons.
Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan are the co-founders of Picture-Perfect Science and authors of the award-winning Picture-Perfect Science series and Teaching Science Through Trade Books, published by NSTA Press. As a former classroom teacher and science curriculum specialist, Karen understands that teachers are crunched for time and need high-interest, ready-to-use lessons that integrate literature, reading strategies, and science. Emily feels that tapping into students’ fascination with science will give them the motivation to read about it.
In this Picture-Perfect Science Workshop, participants will:
Event Details
Audience: K-6 teachers, curriculum directors, instructional specialists.
Attendance Hours Provided: 6.0 Hours
Event Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Individual: $90.00, Student: $70.00, Group (2 or more): $80.00